Socially responsible practices at a public university in a developing country: A sustainability approach

Abstract

The Clean Act of 1990 of South Africa has imposed fines on producers of ozone-depleting substances and local smelting gases (Melnick, 1983). Purcell et al. (2019) suggest that Universities can deliver sustainable development goals (SDG) by working with internal and external stakeholder bodies. They further are expected to embrace issues of global and national social responsibility, governance and sustainability. Filho et al. (2019) opined that universities are central players and critical economic actors in many regions specifically related to sustainable development. The article aims to align sustainability with university operations. The extent to which postgraduate students understand sustainability operations strategy and standards that are eco-friendly are explored and informed by the triple bottom line (3BL) framework and explores the social awareness of the university community in ensuring the quality of life presently and for future generations in a developing context. This article employed a quantitative approach with a sample from the Supply Chain Management Honours students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The 44 questionnaires were randomly sent to students. Descriptive, and inferential, was generated to produce results, suggesting and reaffirming that all stakeholders, including the university leadership and other staff cohorts, should be committed to the United Nations (UN) SDG 4 objectives to ensure sustainability awareness and promote lifelong environmental learning.